Because children don’t come with an owner’s manual, new parents often feel ill-equipped to take an infant home from the hospital much, less raise one successfully to adulthood. Without a guide book, most are left to parent using only the arsenal of advice handed down through generations. While some parenting tips stand the test of time (“Look both ways before crossing the street,” “Don’t stick metal into electrical outlets”), others could use a modern upgrade.

In many situations, an age-appropriate discussion should replace the standard “no, no, no” approach to parenting, especially when the consequences can be deadly. Such is the case with underage drinking and drug use. Time has proven that forbidding a teen from doing just about anything isn’t a very effective strategy. Nancy Reagan’s simplistic and often lampooned “Just say no” slogan seemed inadequate and obsolete as soon as the words left her mouth in 1982.

Modern parents need to adapt and offer young people information that empowers them to make good choices in a variety of situations. Parents would be wise to heed the lesson offered by Mark Mistelbacher, the father of former Everett Silvertips player Jordan Mistelbacher, who died last month at the age of 19 following an apparent binge drinking episode.

Reports indicate that Jordan’s friends were present when he became sick after consuming alcohol at his birthday celebration in Winnipeg. Tragically, it appears that no one called for help after Jordan passed out and by the time they realized something was terribly wrong, it was too late to save his life.

While noting that “binge drinking is wrong,” Jordan’s heartbroken father offered the following advice to all young people: “If your friends do get sick and they’re drinking large amounts, then just step in and help them, just don’t think it’s nothing.”

Failure to recognize a dangerous situation and not knowing when to call for help is an all-too-common theme that can have tragic results. The simple act of reminding our children to listen to the voice in their head when it whispers, “Something here doesn’t feel right,” is a solid strategy.

Making sure that voice of conscience equips them for a variety of situations requires a lot more energy and parenting creativity than can be expressed in the one dimensional, three-word sound bite.